October 24th 2023 - Burbank City Council meeting
Provide City staff with further direction regarding any drafted measures including their potential incorporation into the City’s Objective Standards and Conditions of Approval for future construction projects in the R-1-H (Single Family Residential Horsekeeping) Zone.
Quotes from Public Comments to council from community members regarding the staff report:
“Mariposa Bridge, the gateway to Griffith Park for equestrians and first time riders alike, remains vulnerable to all this upheaval and turmoil.The city needs to implement mitigating measures to reduce the likelihood of accidents, mishaps, injury and the like - before they happen - so they do not happen.”
— Gail Just - Rancho Resident
“I was an eyewitness to a catastrophic accident on the new Atwater Bridge, which resulted in the horrific death of a horse. The first week the bridge was opened, two horses were notably being hand walked across the bridge when one horse got frightened by traffic noise from the five freeway. Bolted back to his barn and the second horse went after his body and never made it home. I feel it would lack sensitivity to those who love that horse to speak about the details of that day in public. But I will say that in all my years as a horseman, it was one of the most horrible accidents I've witnessed. I can say I was one of the three people holding the panicked horse down while we waited for emergency veterinary help, which gratefully came soon. The reason I've been asked to speak about this accident is because it was most likely preventable. Experienced horsemen and equestrians from Burbank and Glendale had attended many meetings spoken to the bridge committees about how to make the bridge safer. Simple things. Rubber pavers continuing on the bike path instead of slick cement, not having a four foot high cement wall put directly at the far end of the horse crossing higher railings along the sides of the horse path. ut none of these suggestions were listened to. Apparently, all the engineers and architects of that $17 million bridge thought they had made a bridge that was good enough. They didn't feel there was any need to listen to the horse community about safety concerns. But the fact was the city staff and the bridge engineers did not have the experience or the qualifications to know how to make that bridge safe for equestrians. They thought they had designed a safe bridge, but they did not. And a terrible accident resulted. I cross that bridge regularly still. I often think about what would have happened that day if a child had been riding that horse. Someone's wife. Someone's mother. Would our city council members be listening more acutely today if a person had died or been severely injured?”
— Sam kirkeby - Rancho equestrian
“I find it very disturbing that in those measures there is nothing written about proper disposal and handling of such materials during and after the construction phase that can pose serious harm to pedestrians, especially horses that are walking along the perimeter.
A nail or other sharp objects that penetrates a horses foot is extremely dangerous and often times deadly. If the nail has entered, either the joint or a layer of synovial membrane around the tendon, it will cause a serious infection that is, and almost impossible to cure.
In the majority of cases, the horses have to be euthanized due to pain and infection in the area. With this being said it has to be known and taken very seriously that during and after construction, disposal of any hazardous materials like nails and screws be removed from and around the perimeter. Especially our bridal trails and walkways.”
— Blanca Guzman, Rancho Horse Shoer
“While I understand city needs to cover its back, what I don't see is anything that the City Council previously professed. Where is the continuation of the passionate?
“Our hands are tied by the state. We must approve it, but gosh darn, we don't want it. And we vow to mitigate the safety concerns in this note and final report.”
There's a lot of we can't make the developer do anything and not much of what you are going to do. ”
— Alisa Cunningham- Rancho Resident
“The reason that other communities don't have objective standards is that this is so extraordinarily inappropriate to have this type of construction project in this type of neighborhood. No other areas have faced this. No other areas have faced litigation about it. It is a case of first impression. SB 35 is extremely new. SB 423, I'll echo Miss Walla's plea that you act on that in time.”
— Jean Schanberger- Rancho Resident
“I am gravely concerned that the bodily safety of myself and my community members do not seem to be a priority to staff, judging by the circumstance we find ourselves in with Circle K and especially by this report. I have made a public records request to understand how staff’s equestrian consultation process resulted in recommendations that do not scratch the surface when it comes to safety. I am terrified that people that staff the government of my city have so little drive or motivation to get creative and bureaucratically brave to keep me safe right down the street from my house. I am holding out hope that the people I had a role in electing will try a little harder.”
— Catie Rossi - Rancho equestrian
“I'm here tonight to talk about the safety report that was given, and I believe it's extremely flawed. And here is why. First, I want to state when we were here July 25th, it was not just the immediate danger and safety of construction. It was the ongoing safety measures that were going to cause problems with having condos in that area. The reason I feel this report is flawed. I'll just start with a report when we about you talk to other cities you talked to, you didn't. The reason when you talk to Norco and San Juan Capistrano the reason they didn't have any construction planning on this subject is because they do not allow multi-family units in the areas, the horse areas. So of course they don't have any plans for that because it doesn't exist. So you're doing something in an area that doesn't which just doesn't happen in other horse communities because they do not allow it. ”
— Darcy Conkle - Rancho equestrian
“I cannot sleep at night because of the lack of leadership and ownership that I see in the city council. This report is not thorough enough. I’m asking you to request more information on how to properly serve your community specifically an equestrian neighborhood, and talk with your community to have a dialogue to protect us for future projects in the Rancho. ”
— Kate Adams - Rancho Resident
What the Staff responded with while the mayor took a nap.
“When it comes to the consultant, I want to just qualify. We didn't go out and pay for a study. What we did is we talked to consultants, one of which was De Novo Town Planning. The consultant is kind of a general consultant for environmental review, and what they did is they reached out to one of their noise consultants and the noise consultant explained that if there are concerns with potential sudden bursts of noise, loud noises, and there's concerns of the potential impact to startle equine(s), here are some things that you can consider and that's what they relayed.....It wasn't a full fledged study. It was a request of council staff did the best it could do within the 90 day period.”
— Burbank City Staff
“The reason I just wanted to point this out is that if there are things both in what we presented to you tonight and or other points that were made where we're talking about ensuring that there's no obstructions, no unsafe conditions off the property, I would suggest that you give us feedback regarding that. And also there cost implications associated with some of these factors that are noted in the staff report. If you feel that there's a certain list of those that you want to have us talk to the developer, my suggestion would be to do it now. Okay, It's not really an issue of negotiating against ourselves. We know these are all voluntary requirements, so we're going to do that. I just don't want to do is create a false expectation, both for both you and the community, that if we wait out this and we don't start the discussion with them (developer), that I don't hear from them either.“